Wire cutting tool

ABSTRACT

A WIRE-CUTTING TOOL HAVING A PAIR OF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED BLADES. ONE BLADE HAVING A HOODLIKE BLADE WITH THE SHRAND SLIDABLY MOUNTED AND SPRING URGED IN THE HANDLE, THE OTHER BLADE BEING PIVOTED TO EXTENDED EARS ON THE HANDLE. BY PLAC-   ING HOODLIKE BLADE OVER A WIRE AND PULLING ON THE HANDLE THE BLADES WILL SHEAR THE WIRE.

United States Patent 13,587,172

[ 1 Inventors Robert 0. Link, 2 8 D North, 2,776,535 1/1957 Branske 30/246X George W. Morse, 9673 Melrose Avenue. 3,352,012 1 1/1967 Link 30/246 Elk Grove, both of Calif. FORElGN PATENTS 525,929 9/1940 Great Britain 30/246 [22] Filed Mar. 4, 1968 [45] Patented June 1971 130,151 11/1950 Sweden 30/246 Primary ExaminerLester M. Swingle Assistant Examiner-J. C. Peters 1 WIRE CUTTING TOOL Attorney-Flehr, Hohbach, Test, Albritton & Herbert 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. (I 30/246 [51) Int. CL. 1326b 13/00 [50] Field ofselrcll 30/237, ABSTRACT; A wire-cutting tool having a pair of piv0ta11y 246, 249 connected blades. One blade having a hooklike blade with the shank slidably mounted and spring urged in the handle. The [56] References cued other blade being'pivoted to extended ears on the handle. By

UNITED STATES PATENTS placin the hooklike blade over a wire and pulling on the hang 1,247,] l l l 1/1917 Helmberger 30/246X dle the blades will shear the wire.

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PATENTED JUN28 I97! INVENTOR. her! 0. Link Attorneys R0 George W Morse 1 WIRE CUTTING Toor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS The tool for cutting wire comprises an elongage tubular first member which has a handle mounted on the first member and adapted to be grasped'by one hand. A second member, which has at least one portion thereof slidably mounted on a first member, is provided for movement in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first member between first and second positions. Spring means is disposed within the first member and is connected to the first and second members and yieldably urges the second member towards a first position in any-position of the tool. A hooklike cutting jaw is mounted on the second member and forms a recess for receipt of the wire to be cut. An additional cutting jaw is provided. First pivot means pivotally connects the additional cutting jaw to the first member and. second pivot means spaced from the first pivot means pivotally connects the additional cutting jaw to the hooklike cutting jaw.

. In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool for cutting wire which is very effective for cutting wire BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view with certain parts broken away showing a tool for cutting wire incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial view looking along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view looking along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a view looking along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 and showing the cutting tool in the closed wire-cutting position.

FIG.- 6 is a perspective view showing the tool being used for cutting wires on a bale of hay.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The tool for cutting wires is shown in FIGS. 1-3 and consists of an elongate tubular first member 12 formed of a suitable materiaL such as steel which is provided with a bore 13 extending the length of the same. A rectangular in cross section second member 14, is also provided and has at least a portion thereof slidably mounted in the bore 13 of the firstmember 12. The second member 14 is also formed of a suitable material such as steel and can be solid as shown in the drawings. The second member 14 is movable in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first member between first and second positions with the first position being shown in FIG. 1 and the second position being shown in FIG. 5 for a I purpose hereinafter described.

Spring means in the fonn of a helical spring 16 is disposed within the bore 13 of the first member 12 and yieldably urges the second member 14 to its first position. The spring 16 is provided with a hook 17 at one end which is connected through a hole 18 provided in one end of the second member 14. The other end of the spring 16 is also provided with a hook 19 which engagesa loop 21 mounted on one side of a cap 22 which is threaded into a handle mounted on the end of the first member 12 opposite the end in which the second member is slidably mounted. As can be seen particularly in FIG. 1, the first member 12 is provided with an outwardly flared portion 12a which fonns a seat for the cap 22. The cap 22 is provided with a screwdriver receiving slot 24 to permit ready insertion and removal of the cap and also to permit ready replacement of the spring 16 when desired.

As can be seen from FIG. I, the handle 23 has a conventional configuration and is formed so that it is adapted to be grasped by one hand. The handle 23 can be formed of any suitable material such as plastic molded onto the first member. A flanged portion 12a provided on the first member 12 helps to ensure that the handle 23 is firmly mounted on the first member 12 and will not slip off of the first member.

The first member is provided with an extension 26 which is generally tubular in form and which is secured to the end of the first member 12 in which the second member is slidably mounted by suitable means such as welding. The extension 26 is provided with a bore 27 which is adapted to receive one end of the first member 12 as shown in the drawings. The extension 26 is also provided with a slot 28 which is rectangular in cross section and which has one dimension which is as wide as the diameter of the bore 13 and in which the second member is adapted to slide. The second member 14 is formed generally from fiat plate steel and has a suitable thickness such as 5 inch. It thus is also rectangular in cross section and slides in the slot 28 provided in the extension 26 longitudinally of the slot. The rectangular configuration of the slot 28 and the second member 14 prevents rotation of the second member A hooklike cutting jaw 31 is carried by the second member 14 and is fonned integral with the second member 14. The cutting jaw 31 is provided with an outer curved surface 32 at a point which is generally in line with the longitudinal axis of the tool. It also is provided with a straight line surface 33 that joins the curved surface 32 and fonns an angle which isgenerally substantially less than 30 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the second member 14 and of the first member 12. The cutting jaw 31 is also provided with a straight line surface 34 which joins the surface 33 and which is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second member 14.

A generally V-shaped notch or recess 36 is formed by the hooklike cutting jaw 31 which is formed in one side by a straight line surface 37 on the cutting jaw which forms an angle of slightly greater than 30 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the second member 14. The surface 37 extends inwardly to a point substantially opposite the curved surface 32 to provide in combination with another curved surface 38 a slot 39 which opens into the V-shaped recess 36. The curved surface 38 is formed by a portion which has a greater transverse dimension than the second member 14.

An additional cutting jaw 41 is provided. The cutting jaw 41 is generally trapezoidal in shape. However, the cutting jaw 41 is provided with one surface 42 which is slightly curved as shown particularly in FIG. 5 which cooperates with the straight line surface 37 provided on the cutting jaw 31 to provide the cutting action hereinafter described. First pivot means is provided for pivotally connecting the additional cutting jaw 41 to the first member and consists of pin and slot means 46 in which a pin 47 is carried by a pair of spaced parallel ears 48 formed integral with the extension 26 and extending rearwardly from the hooklike cutting jaw 31 in a direction substantially parallel to the hooklike cutting jaw 31. The additional cutting jaw 41 is provided with a slot 49 through which the pin 47 extends.

Second pivot means pivotally connects the additional cutting jaw 41 to the hooklike cutting jaw 31 and consists of an Allan head screw 52 which extends through a collar 53 mounted in the additional cutting jaw 41 and which is threaded into the hooklike cutting jaw 31.

A spacer 51 is mounted between the ears 48 and is mounted on the pin 47. The extension 26 is provided with a cutout 56 to accommodate the additional cutting jaw 41 and permit its movement as the second member is moved between first and second positions and to accommodate the screw 52.

Use of the tool for cutting wire may now be briefly- FIG. l in which the cutting jaws 31 and 41 are in the open wire-receiving position. With the tool in this position, it can be seen that the handle 23 of the tool can be readily grasped by one hand as shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings and that the tool can be moved into engagement with one of the wires 61 of a bale of hay 62 by dragging the tool longitudinally of the bale with the pointed hooklike cutting jaw 31 pointing downwardly until one of the wires 61 is engaged by the cutting jaw 31 and enters the V-shaped recess and then finally enters the slot 39. As soon as the wire 61 has entered the slot 69, movement of the hooklike cutting'jaw 3! is arrested or restrained to cause movement of the hooklike member 31 and the second member 14. on which it is mounted to be moved longitudinally of the first member 12 against the force of the spring 16. As

'this movementprogresses, the additional cutting jaw 41 is shifted in its position to bring its cutting surface 42 in engagement with the wire which is within the slot 39 to cooperate with the cutting surface 37 provided on the hooklike cutting jaw 31 to cut the wire. Thus, it can be seen that the wire can be cut by one continuous motion of the hand on the cutting tool and one continuous motion. As soon as the wire has been cut, the tool can. again be positioned to cut the next wire on the bale of hay until all the wires have been cut.

The change in distance between the pivot points formed by the screw 52 and the pin 47 is accommodated by the slot 51 provided in the additional cutting jaw 41.

As soon as a wire has been cut, the tool immediately snaps back into the open wire-cutting position by forceof the spring 16 so it is only necessary for the operator to move the tool into a position so that it can grasp and engage the next wire on the bale. Thus, it can be seen that the spring 16 serves to retain the tool in the open or wire-receiving position and it is only moved to the second wire-cutting position against the force of the spring when the tool engages a wire to be cut.

The tool is constructed so that it is capable of receiving long and continuous use without undue wear to the moving parts. It is also constructed so that it can be readily and economically manufactured. The tool has an attractive appearance. Certain of its moving parts are concealed from view. This has the advantage in that the moving parts are not likely to come in contact with the object to be cut and, in addition, this helps to prevent the 'user of the tool from being inadvertently pinched by the tool. The arrangement is also desirable in that it excludes dirt and other abrasive particles from the moving parts so as to increase the life of the tool.

We claim:

1. In a tool for cutting wire and the like, an elongate tubular first member having first and second ends and defining a cavity open toward said first end thereof, a handle mounted on said second end of said first member and adapted to be grasped by one hand, a second member having first and second ends, said first end of the second member slidably mounted in the cavity of said first member formovement in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said first member between first and second positions, spring means disposed within the cavity of said first member and connected to said first and second members for yieldably urging said second member towards said first position in any position of the tool, a hooklike cutting jaw mounted on the second end of said-second member and forming a recess freely open in a direction toward said handle for receipt of the wire to be cut, an additional cutting jaw, first pivot means pivotally connecting said additional cutting jaw to said first member and second pivot means spaced from said first pivot means pivotally connecting said additional cutting jaw to said hooklike cutting jaw whereby movement of the second member to its second position pivots said additional cutting jaw for cutting a wire in the recess and an extension on the first end of the first member in slidable sealing relationship with said first end of the second member for sealing the cavity against entry of foreign matter, said first pivot means comprising at least one ear on the extension projecting rearwardly in a direction opposite thehooklike member and pin and slot means carried by said ear and by said additional cutting aw.

2. A tool as m c arm 1 wherern said second member and sard first member have means preventing rotational movement of the second member with respect to the first member.

3. A tool as in claim 2 wherein said means for preventing rotation of the second member with respect to the first member includes at least one slot formed in one of said members and means formed on the other of said members sliding in said slot.

4. A tool as in claim 2 wherein said first member is formed with a slot which has a generally rectangular configuration and wherein said second member has a generally rectangular configuration in cross section and is slidably mounted in said slot.

5. A tool as in claim 1 wherein said hooklike member and said second member are formed from a single piece.

6. A tool as in claim 1 wherein said first member is provided with a bore and wherein said spring means is disposed completely within said bore.

7. A tool as in claim 6 wherein said spring is secured to said first member by a removable cap carried by the first member. 

